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Gardeners who love to travel have no doubt come across gorgeous hellebores or Lenten roses. In moderate climates, these flowering plants are frequently used as foundation or specimen plants.

Although they are not as commonly seen in Kansas, Lenten roses are deer resistant perennial shade-loving flowers that are among the earliest to bloom in our gardens. Bloom time varies a little with variety and weather conditions, but the flowers generally appear in early March. The foliage remains green year round. 

The most common kind of hellebore sold, the Lenten rose type (helleborus x hybridus), was designed to produce large blooms in a range of colors from white to purple. Double Ladies are hellebore plants that produce double-petal blooms.

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Look for hellebores in garden centers over the next few months. Selecting a plant when it is flowering ensures getting a mature plant and a variety with pleasing blossoms. Small hellebores will flower between two and three years after transplanting. If you purchase a larger plant in flower, it is not uncommon for the plant to take a year off after being transplanted in your garden.

Hellebores grow best in partially shaded locations with well-drained soil but, given time, they will acclimate themselves to many soil types. They tolerate full shade but produce fewer flowers with lower light conditions. They require more water until they are established, then only over extended dry periods.

Nodding flowers of a Hellebore plant. georgeweigel.net

Lenten rose plants can top out at about 3 feet across, at perhaps 25 years old. Unlike many perennials, they don’t die out in the center and rarely need dividing. Once Helleborus plants are established they do not need a great deal of maintenance. Think of them as you would peonies: nothing needed aside from an annual cleanup and a bit of compost. Cut back old foliage before bloom time, ideally inn the late autumn or early winter, to avoid cutting the emerging flower stems. 

Thanks to: 

Jennifer Smith, former horticulture extension agent for K-State Research and Extension and horticulturist for Lawrence Parks and Recreation. 

Judith Knott Taylor, “Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide”

Margaret Roach, Awaytogarden.com

Gardening Know How - https://www.gardeningknowhow.com

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